


An Educated Idiot

by audhds



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst, Arthur Is Cute, Arthur Makes Merlin Cry, Arthur Needs To Get His Privilege Out Of His Ass, Arthur Pratdragon, Arthur is a Prat, Arthur is accidentally an ass, Birthday Presents, But Immediately Regrets It, Crying, Crying Merlin, Cute, Educating Merlin, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Crack, Learning to read, Learning to write, M/M, Men Crying, Merlin Deserves To Be Treated Better, Oblivious Arthur, Protective Arthur, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Worth Issues, merlin is adorable, upset merlin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-04-23
Packaged: 2018-10-23 03:35:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10711350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/audhds/pseuds/audhds
Summary: Arthur asks Merlin to write his speech. Merlin is a loyal, dedicated manservant and is willing to do anything for his prince. However, there is a slight problem. Merlin never learnt to read and write. This story follows Merlin's journey - with Gaius as his mentor and Arthur as his motivation, what could go wrong?!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is just kinda fluffy, with angst (you know me) and Merlin has self esteem issues like hell.
> 
> Please enjoy - story is fully written so updates should be every day :D

"Prat! Clotpole! Dollop Head! His Royal Pratness! Prince Pratdragon! Idiot! Big-Headed! Conceited! Ass! Woodworm! Spoon-threatener! Toad Paste! Sheep Brain! Cabbage Head! Turnip Head! Buffoon! Donkey-eared! Gravy-faced! PRAT!"

  
Merlin was fuming, storming around Gaius' chambers and cursing Arthur with every insult he knew, which judging by the sound of things this was a pretty extensive list. After all Merlin had been lucky enough to receive years of practise whilst working with Arthur, the once and future King.

  
He thumped up and down the room, his anger quickly diminishing into panic. _'Great, well done Merlin, got yourself into the dung again! What am I going to do? Why are you such an idiot? That was a rhetorical question brain! Oh for the love of god what am I going to do?'_ Merlin slumped onto the chair next to Gaius' desk and cleared himself a small space, knocking three vials and a rather strange looking purple plant over in the process, only adding to his despair. His eyes glowed gold and the glass vials and plant shot back onto the table in one piece, but alas the potions previously inside the vials had not been restored. On top of everything he now had to explain to Gaius that the potions he had spent the last two days making were destroyed. Brilliant!

  
He placed the blank scroll in front of him and stared at it, hoping beyond all hope that words would suddenly manifest and grow on the blank parchment. Of course, they didn't, when was Merlin's life ever that easy? Once again Merlin's desperation surged and he felt anger bubble up inside him yet again, like one of Gaius' concoctions for headaches. Merlin grabbed the inkwell by his right hand, launched it across the room and allowed a small smile to spread across his lips, the smashing sound and tinkling of glass hitting the floor was rather satisfying when done deliberately. However, the smile soon vanished as the door in said wall swung open to reveal a haggard and concerned Gaius.

  
"Merlin, what on earth do you think you are doing? What have I told you about practising magic in my chambers? Do it in your own room! I mean really, last time you blew up my cauldron, the time before that you turned my candlestick into a gerbil, and need I remind you of the wild boar incident?"

  
Merlin flushed scarlet and contemplated his options, well option, he was useless at lying to Gaius so would have to tell the truth. Gaius would find out one way or another and Merlin decided to take the easy route out. Yes, the truth was the best bet. But what if Gaius thought he was an idiot, well more of an idiot than normal? And what if Arthur found out? Gaius raised his eyebrow in his signature manner, half amused and half exasperated by Merlin's expression of confusion and worry.

  
"Spit it out my boy!"

  
"I wasn't using magic, I threw it! Um, well, the thing is that I, um. Well I guess. It's His Royal Pratness!"

  
"Merlin, what have I told you about calling Arthur that, he is the crown prince after all," Gaius half-heartedly admonished the boy. The physician knew full well that Arthur was a prat at times, but would never have voiced his opinion. For one thing Uther would burn him at the stake, and for another it was rather fun winding Merlin up about Arthur.

  
"Fine, I will tell…But he is a prat!"

  
Gaius gave a small, non-committal nod, "Did he make you muck out the stables on your own for the third day in a row?"

  
There was a rather dejected, "No" in response and Gaius wondered what on earth was wrong.

  
"Well my boy, are you going to tell me what is wrong or are you going to keep an old man waiting?" There was another long pause.

  
"Did Arthur announce another hunting trip?"

  
"If only." Something was seriously wrong; Merlin despised hunting and would spend hours complaining about it to Gaius every time. He argued that there was no fun in capturing animals and frightening them, it was not a sport. If Merlin was saying that hunting would be preferable to the current situation Gaius knew that something terrible must have happened.

  
"Just tell me my boy; something is clearly wrong if you are telling me that you would rather be knee deep in horse dung or out hunting in the cold and wet than facing this situation."

  
Merlin frowned, now was as good a time as any to admit his predicament. He would have to do it at some point. _'Come on Merlin, you have tamed a dragon, fought off sorcerer's, saved the future king's life on countless occasions, survived Gwaine's drunk singing and escaped bandits._ This is the last thing you should get upset about!' Merlin began to give himself a pep-talk and finally bucked up the courage to talk to Gaius. He was practically his father and would never make fun of him.

  
"Gaius, the thing is that Arthur has asked me to write his speech for tomorrow evening, and it is already close to midnight." Gaius' eyebrow raised even further, all of this fuss for a speech?! Merlin had sounded uncharacteristically desperate and was practically pleading for help, but why?

  
"Well, what's the problem? You have plenty of time, or don't you have any ideas?" Gaius couldn't help but feel relieved, despite Merlin's angst; at least it wasn't some evil warlock or a dragon on the rampage. He let out a deep sigh, lowered his eyebrow and sank into the chair on the opposite side of his desk, noticing that his potion vials were now empty. "And what happened to my potions?"

  
Merlin gulped and quickly apologised, "I will sort them out for you tomorrow."

  
"Fine, but first you need to write this speech." Gaius stood up and turned to leave but turned around when Merlin began to speak.

  
"That is the problem Gaius. I can't. The thing is, well, the thing is that I can't read or write." Merlin's voice broke mid-sentence and his face flushed tomato red. His eyes had begun to water in humiliation and he wiped them furiously. He, Merlin, Emrys, saviour of Albion, protector of Arthur would not cry.

  
Gaius racked his brains in an attempt to remember a situation when Merlin had written anything, and failed to come up with one. Maybe he couldn't write, but that did not explain one thing, "What do you mean you cannot read? You pour over your spell book all the time and that is not even written in English."

  
Merlin let out a sigh, "I am not quite sure how that works, the words seem to speak to me, and there is some sort of magic in that book. The words just kind of materialise in my mind and well, I just understand them. My mother could never afford to send me to school, and she never had time to teach me. She would read to me when I was little but never got round to teaching me as well. We were always too busy."

  
His tone quickly turned more defensive, "It wasn't her fault though. She was busy, always working so that we could keep the house and put food on the table, and even when she worked full time we often went hungry. There was no way that she could have paid for my education. And now I have to write a speech in under a day and I don't even know where to start. Arthur will think I am stupid." Merlin's voice became more and more desperate and his voice cracked again, his tears threatening to spill rapidly. Gaius hurried around the desk and wrapped his arms gently around the boy, ruffling his mess of dark hair when Merlin buried his face in Gaius' robes. It shocked him to see Merlin this way. He had become accustomed to Merlin's goofy grins and apologetic shrugs accompanied by a lopsided grin, never tears.

  
"Come on my boy, don't be upset. We will sort this out. You have certainly faced worse. You should be more worried about re-doing my potions." Merlin smiled slightly into Gaius' robes despite himself and pulled away, wiping away the lone tear which had forced itself halfway down his angular cheekbones. Gaius nodded and pulled out an old spell book from under a floorboard, this one was nowhere near as good as the one he had bequeathed to Merlin but if he remembered correctly…

  
"Ah Ha! Found it." Merlin looked up puzzled and glanced over at the spell Gaius was pointing to. He read the description with ease; clearly all magic books had the ability to speak to warlocks, and grinned widely. This spell would allow him to enchant a quill so that he could control it with his mind. It would do the writing, he would do the thinking. Brilliant, life could sometimes be fair. It was about time Merlin had a break. He decided that he would see to the speech after a good night’s sleep, that way he wouldn't make any mistakes and besides, now that he didn't have to write it the process would not take long. He gave Gaius a swift nod and headed into his room, closing the door behind him and letting out a sigh of relief as he pulled off his tunic and trousers. He sank into bed with a satisfied groan and pulled the threadbare blanket around himself, swiftly sinking into a world of dreams.


	2. Chapter 2

Merlin awoke with a start the next morning feeling himself being shaken. What was going on?

  
"No, earthquake? Arrgh! Arthur?" Merlin mumbled blearily and rubbed his eyes, sitting bolt upright and jumping when he was confronted with Gaius' face in an uncomfortably close proximity. "Gaius what in the name of Wilddeoren are you doing? What time is it?"

  
"5 O'clock." Gaius replied swiftly with an amused glint in his eyes.

"5! Why 5? What have I done to deserve this?"

  
"I wanted to teach you some reading and writing before you set off for work. And you have a speech to write. Come on, rise and shine!"

  
Merlin mumbled something unintelligible about where he wanted to stick Gaius' quills and stood up, quickly pulling on a fresh set of clothes and following Gaius out into the main chambers, dragging his feet and still grumbling. He sat down in his chair and was faced with yet more blank parchment, the last thing he wanted to see at this insane hour! Gaius began to write out the alphabet, leaving a space between each row and handed the page over to Merlin, instructing him to copy out the letters. Merlin flushed with embarrassment and nearly knocked over the ink pot whilst snatching up the insufferable quill. Now that he had the enchantment, what was the point? Although to be fair it was probably best if he learnt to write and read at some point. But before 6am was certainly not the time.

  
This was so humiliating! Gaius just shrugged and gave him a knowing raised eyebrow accompanied by a kind smile.

  
"Everyone has to learn at some point my boy. Just think soon you will be able to read and write Arthur's speeches at the drop of a hat." Merlin nodded and bent his head over the page, clutching the quill in his hand. Gaius tried to bite back a laugh and lent forward to rearrange Merlin's skinny fingers so that he could at least hold the thing properly. Merlin gave a small grunt of thanks and began to write, incredibly slowly and furrowed his brow in concentration. When he eventually sat back to admire his work Gaius beckoned for the page, which was handed over reluctantly. Gaius then squinted at and inspected the wobbly lettering.

  
"Not bad, now then, why don't you read some of this passage out and then you can copy it up." Merlin agreed half-heartedly, this would be a long morning, and he picked up the medicine book that Gaius had handed to him. Gaius shifted his chair so that he was beside Merlin so that he could see the page and prompt Merlin when necessary.

  
Merlin began to read, stumbling on every other word and squinting at the writing, he was clearly struggling and getting more and more frustrated. This was mad. What is the point of magic if you can't even do the basic things in life? Merlin began inwardly cursing everything from Arthur's stinking slippers to the grumpy waitress at the tavern.

  
Gaius gently filled in the silence when Merlin was really stuck on a word (or mentally cursing) and after an hour Merlin had managed to read the entire page and had copied it up in his messy scrawl. Gaius had inspected this, marked on the spelling mistakes and told Merlin to try and learn the words. If he could remember countless incantations and spells Gaius was sure that a few words would not stop him. Glad for the break Merlin began to write his speech, or at least the quill did, and he sat back proudly when he was completed. Maybe waking up early wasn't too bad, he had certainly been productive and he soon found himself wandering up to Arthur's chambers with the scroll in hand.

  
"Merlin, you are late! And don't you ever knock, you idiot?" A bleary eyed Arthur was sitting up in bed, running his hand through his blonde locks and fisting his eyes tiredly.

  
"SORRY!" Merlin called out as loud as he could, grinning to himself at the glare he received for being so loud first thing in the morning, (well, first thing in Arthur's morning at least). He then skilfully avoided the pillow which was launched at his head, picked out an outfit for Arthur and placed the speech on his bedside table.

  
"Ah, my speech." Of course there was no thank you, but Merlin was used to it, at least he wasn't currently being insulted or having a goblet thrown at his head. "I wouldn't leave it there though if I were you!"

  
"Why on earth not?" Merlin grumbled, he had just crossed over to the other side of the room and had a feeling that Arthur was going to instruct him to come all the way over just to move the scroll.

  
"The woodworm might eat it!" Arthur burst out laughing at his own wit and didn't even notice Merlin's withering gaze. Merlin still didn't understand how he had gotten away with that excuse when stealing Arthur's keys; I mean really, Arthur called him an idiot! Who was he to take the mick?

  
_'He can write his own speeches from now on!'_

  
Merlin shuffled around the room, retorting to Arthur's usual verbal abuse and being threatened with the stocks at least four times. At least it was his morning off tomorrow and he could have a bit of a lie in. Of course that would be after he had mucked out the stables, filled and warmed Arthur a bath and tucked his royal Pratness into bed (metaphorically speaking unfortunately!) When Merlin finally dragged himself into Gaius' chambers he collapsed into his chair and wolfed down the meal in front of him, not noticing the grim look on his guardian's face until it was too late.

  
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Silence…

  
"Gaius" More silence…

  
"Tell me that wasn't rat again." Deafening silence. Merlin cringed and forced himself to swallow down the last mouthful. It was better than nothing.

  
With that he wandered into his room and pulled out his spell book, checking for any spells which improve your handwriting. Gaius had been kind earlier but Merlin knew that his writing was pretty much illegible in comparison to Gaius' decorative calligraphy. However tiredness soon sunk over him, his muscles were screaming in protest and he found himself falling fast asleep on his spell book.

  
Merlin dreamt that night, not his usual nightmares about bandits or Arthur ordering him to clean the stables with a hairbrush, but of quills chasing him down the corridors and into the dungeons. He woke with a start when one of the quills had plunged into the heart of his dream-self and he groaned. He could hear shuffling outside his door and judging by the sunlight pouring in through his window it was about seven. So much for a long lie in! He stumbled out of bed, washed with a bucket of water, which he secretly heated with magic, and pulled on his blue tunic and red neckerchief. He then went over to Gaius and accepted his breakfast, a chunk of bread and cheese, and sat down at his table. The sight before him led to an expression of dismay. Gaius had placed yet more blank parchment down along with a book and Merlin immediately understood, Gaius was not going to let him relax. It would have been preferable if he had been sent out to gather herbs, and that was saying something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think :D Reviews are life  
> and I appreciate your comments and kudos so much <3


	3. Chapter 3

Merlin was sitting at the desk, well slouching to be honest, and was scribbling furiously. Gaius had set him a gargantuan task, to write up the properties of all the different herbs that he collected in a medical guide. Gaius had been planning to do this for years and now he had a good excuse to give Merlin the task. He hoped that when he passed on someone would be able to learn about all the plants and their medical uses, as well as how to prepare them. Of course in his mind he had always hoped that Merlin would be his apprentice and continue his work but that would be too much to ask. The boy already had to cope with his destiny and care for Arthur and despite his best intentions Merlin had never fully grasped the topic of medicine and had always struggled with healing spells. Of course his talents in the latter were greatly improving. Merlin had to learn fast after all his training with Arthur, which often left him bruised and bloodied and Merlin needed to be able to patch up Gaius and the knights. After carefully writing up about 15 of the most common herbs and their uses Merlin was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to stop. When he mentioned this fact to Gaius, he was not at all pleased with the response.

  
"Ok then Merlin, you can practise your alphabet again. I want you to try joint up writing now." Gaius ignored Merlin's groan and carefully wrote the alphabet down three times with perfectly joint up writing. Gaius then informed Merlin that he was popping out to get some herbs and that he expected 5 more herbs to be written up in the book and the alphabets to be filled in by the time he was back. Merlin continued grumbling furiously and released numerous huffs and sighs as he started his second attempt of the alphabet. That was until he jumped out of his skin and he swiped his quill along the page crossing out half of his work. He swore and looked up at the door, which had been flung open to reveal a bright red faced Arthur. Merlin was sure that if looks could kill he himself and half of Camelot would be lying face down in the dirt. Merlin immediately realised that he had to hide his sheet of alphabets. Arthur could not find out. He quickly shuffled the page out of the way as best as he could and looked up at Arthur.

  
"Um, can I help?"

  
"Yes Merlin, I believe you can. The thing is, that an idiot servant of mine left my best shirt on the floor. And now it has been eaten by a rat!" In Merlin's panic he failed to realise that the idiot Arthur was referring to was indeed himself. He shuffled around, being very careful not to draw attention to the page he was desperately trying to hide. At first he thought that he had gotten away with it, but when did life ever go well for him?

  
"What are you going to do about it Merlin?"

  
"Err, I, Um. I will catch the rat." Merlin shuddered when he thought back to last night's meal and began to ponder the purpose of rats in life. What on earth were they made for? They were nothing but trouble! Arthur nodded slowly, hit Merlin around the head for good measure and began to turn around and leave. Merlin let out a relieved sigh and began to pull back his page, not noticing when Arthur turned around to watch him curiously. Normally Merlin would have grumbled and complained about it being his time off, he was preoccupied with something, and by the looks of things that something was a sheet of parchment.

  
"Merlin, what is that?"

  
"Nothing."

  
"Nothing…is that why you were staring and concentrating on it as if it had caused you a lot of pain."

"I was not, I was just thinking." Merlin quickly lied but his ears were beginning to flush red. Why did they always betray him like that?

  
"You thinking. Now I am getting really worried!" Arthur grinned and took the opportunity to throw one of Merlin's favourite insults right back at him.

  
"That's my phrase."

  
"But it fits you perfectly." Arthur was met with yet another glare and feigned turning around before swooping back and snatching the piece of parchment out from under Merlin's elbow. Merlin lunged forward and tried to grab the parchment back, however it was far too late. Arthur had already seen the page, the damage was done.

  
"Merlin, are you learning to write?"

  
"No, of course not! I was just-I was-Um. I can explain." Arthur just grinned, this was hilarious. How often had Merlin called him a prat and an idiot and he couldn't even write? Hypocrite!

  
"I always knew you were stupid, but not that stupid. There really is no limit to your intelligence is there Merlin". The last sentence was said with a spectacular example of Arthur-Pratdragonish-sarcasm and Merlin flushed even brighter. Arthur really was an idiot. He stood up from the desk with tears burning in his eyes and Arthur immediately realised his mistake. Maybe he had been a bit harsh.

  
"Look, Merlin. I didn't mean it." Of course he didn't say sorry but did feel a tad guilty. Merlin however ignored his statement and stormed past Arthur, waiting until he was out of the room before wiping his eyes. Arthur had seen this and for once in his life he regretted his actions. He had made Merlin cry. Kind, loyal, faithful, innocent Merlin.

  
"Merlin come back! I didn't mean it. I'm sorry ok!" There he had said it. He Arthur Pendragon had said sorry. Merlin ignored him and carried on through Gaius' chambers, throwing open the front door.

  
"Look I apologised. What more do you want me to do? I shouldn't have said that. I was out of order. I am sorry!" Merlin whipped around and Arthur felt a lump rise in his throat. Merlin's face was red and blotchy, a stark contrast to his usually milky white skin tone, and there were tear tracks glistening down his cheekbones.

  
"What? And that makes everything better?! You are such a…" For once Merlin's infantry of insults failed him, so he simply turned around again and ran out of the door. He continued sprinting, passing Gwen who glanced at him concernedly, not thinking about where he would end up. He ran straight into Gaius who was heading back with a basketful of herbs and Gaius held out a hand to stop him.

  
"Merlin my boy! What is wrong? What is upsetting you?" Merlin shook his head in response and found himself leaning into Gaius' embrace. He rested his head in the crook of the older man's neck and began to sob desperately.

  
"He. He. Arthur. He-found out." Gaius understood immediately and sighed, Arthur really was a prat, and next time Merlin called him so Gaius had no intention of reprimanding him. He lowered his basket to the floor and patted the boy awkwardly on the back; gently shushing him and stroking his back until Merlin had hiccupped himself back to normality. Merlin pulled away and rubbed his eyes with his knuckles and flushed slightly. That was the first time he had properly cried in years, besides the occasional tear here or there or cry of pain. Merlin prided himself in his ability to control his emotions. He was able to hide a lot, his magic, his feelings, his emotions and he couldn't help but admit that it felt rather good to let it all out.

  
He hadn't just cried about Arthur's hurtful comment but about his father, his mistreatment, his exhaustion, how fed up he was for being taken for granted and in fear of his destiny. He was only human and yet he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

  
If Arthur knew just the half of it Merlin was sure that he would never have a goblet launched at his head again, or get called another insulting name. He continued to move away from his house and into the woods, he needed time to think and clear his head. Without realising where his feet were taking him Merlin ended up by the lake. He couldn't help but be awestruck by the breath-taking views and felt a lump rise in his throat. He missed Freya so much and once again tears threatened to spill down his cheeks. He stripped off his socks and dipped his feet into the cool water, drawing his knees up to his chest and leaning against a boulder. Eventually Merlin felt the stress of the last few weeks’ crash over him and he dozed off with his head lolling forward onto his knees.

  
Merlin failed to wake up at the cracking of twigs behind him and only stirred when a hand was placed on his shoulder. He jumped and began to pull away. Why wouldn't anyone just let his sleep?

  
"Gaius, if Arthur wants me tell him to lock himself in the dungeon and never come out!" Arthur flushed slightly and bit back a retort. Now was not the time to call Merlin an idiot, he would come to that later.

  
"Merlin, it is me." Merlin's eyes snapped open and he immediately felt as awake as he did when Arthur threw buckets of water over him.

  
"Oh. What do you want?" Merlin's tone was far more aggressive than Arthur had ever heard it and Arthur flinched slightly. This was not the Merlin he knew, he really had messed things up this time.

  
"Merlin, I really am truly sorry for what I said. I was a prat. You didn't deserve that. You are an incredibly loyal servant, and maybe, well, definitely the best friend I have. Probably the only true friend I have if I am honest." Arthur's apology came out in one garbled rush and his cheeks turned the same colour of his cloak.

  
Merlin stared up at Arthur. That had been totally unexpected and he couldn't help but smile at Arthur's expression. He looked so self-conscious and puppy-dog eyed. But he still had been an out of order prat. Merlin wasn't usually spiteful or resentful but his pent up emotions had made him far more volatile than usual.

  
"What and that makes everything better?" Once again tears pricked in his eyes and Merlin turned away. Half of him wanted to get up and hug the prince; the other wanted to carry on raging and fuming.

  
"No, that doesn't make it better, but there is nothing more I can do. I promise I will never mock you about it again, I understand that it must have been hard for you back in Ealdor. You worked didn't you? It's no surprise that you didn't have time to learn to read or write."

  
Merlin watched in horror as Arthur's eyes filled with tears which spilt softly down his cheek.

  
"Merlin, I am so sorry, please forgive me." Arthur moved over to Merlin and took it as encouragement that the boy did not scoot away. He then cautiously wrapped an arm around Merlin's waist and pulled the smaller boy into his chest. He felt tears soaking his shirt and his own flowed down his cheeks and into Merlin's soft brown hair. Merlin accepted the embrace and felt his anger swiftly melt away into despair and concern. Arthur was crying. Actually crying. Arthur never cried, not even when he was in extreme pain. Merlin sighed and pulled himself closer into Arthur's arms, breathing in his musky scent and only pulling away when they had both stopped crying. Arthur couldn't help the fact that he had been born as an arrogant-prat, and Merlin had to admit that he was a lovable arrogant-prat if nothing else. Merlin sat up and reached for his socks, pulling them and his shoes on before finally speaking.

  
"I accept your apology. Although does that mean I get the day off tomorrow?"

  
"Don't push it!"

  
"Prat!"

  
"Dollophead!"

  
"That's my word!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think :D


	4. Chapter 4

Merlin awoke the next day and peeled his head off the book of herbs that he had been working on the previous night. He had been trying to clear his mind and had fallen asleep on top of it with his Gaius' battered quill still in hand. It was his birthday today, not that he had mentioned it to Arthur, and he quickly got dressed, ready for just another day at work.

  
Gaius of course had other plans, he had bought some fresh fruit from the market, apples (Merlin's favourite) and some fresh strawberries. When Merlin walked into the room and saw his breakfast he grinned widely, his piercing blue eyes widening with delight.

  
"Happy Birthday, my boy!" Gaius moved forward and wrapped his as-good-as son tightly and handed him a small package. When Merlin opened the present he let out a small gasp. It was a brand new red neckerchief and from the looks of things it was made of real silk. It must have cost an arm and a leg, far more than Gaius could reasonably afford. For once he was lost for words, so he quickly slipped off his old one, which was tattered and had acquired numerous holes over the years, and slipped on the new silk one. The cool, smooth fabric felt incredible against his milk white skin and he beamed.

  
"Thank you so much. It is beautiful." Gaius grinned at Merlin's reaction. The boy deserved so much more but this would have to do for now. He was so kind, loyal and loving, Gaius was certain that even if he had bought Merlin a package of manure he would still have been happy.

"I am glad you like it my boy. Come now, let's have breakfast."

  
That was it, Merlin was in heaven. He beamed when he bit into the juicy flesh of the strawberries. They were perfectly ripe and were incredibly sweet, he soon had juice dripping down his chin. Merlin ensured that he savoured every mouthful and wondered for a moment what it would be like to be Arthur, who got fresh fruit for breakfast every day. Then again, he probably took the fruit for granted and didn't appreciate it as much. Merlin then moved onto the apple, forcing himself not to wolf it down in three bites. This was a special breakfast and he wanted to make it last as long as possible. When he finally finished he sat back with a smile pasted on his face, along with some stubborn strawberry juice which he hadn't been able to wipe off, which Gaius pointed out causing Merlin to blush slightly.

  
"Well, I think I had better be off then. Don't want to keep Arthur waiting!" Merlin jumped up and walked over to Arthur's chambers with a lighter feeling than usual. A good breakfast really did wonders. When he opened the door, without knocking as usual, he was met with a huge surprise. Arthur was already up and dressed, sitting at a table in front of a large wicker basket. Merlin shot him a confused look when Arthur stood up and picked up the basket.

  
"What's going on?"

  
"Well I wasn't going to let your birthday go unnoticed was I?"

  
"Um, I guess not. How did you know?"

  
"I am the prince of Camelot Merlin, I know everything." Merlin just smirked in response and Arthur refrained from throwing a goblet at his head. That could wait for tomorrow.

  
"Come on, I haven't got all day, we need to set off."

  
"Set off?" That certainly sounded ominous to Merlin.

  
"Yes, set off. Well done Merlin, you are not deaf and have learnt how to repeat a sentence. Congratulations. This day marks a monumental occasion, and not just your birthday!"

  
"Dollophead!"

  
Arthur took up the basket and led Merlin to the stables, where two horses had been prepared. Merlin followed, all the while wondering what Arthur had in mind. The long journey was filled with their usual banter and insults, things were clearly back to normal after yesterday, and when they finally arrived at their destination Merlin gasped.

  
"Well, I know you have a thing for lakes, so I thought this one was rather impressive." Merlin had to agree, it was perfect. The lake was surrounded by meadow, long grass and wild flowers working together to create an idyllic landscape. Merlin looked around in awe, this place was beautiful, and the fact that Arthur had begun to lay out a picnic made it all the better. Both men tucked into a feast of chicken, bread rolls and the finest cheese money could buy and Merlin was beaming for all he was worth. He sank into the soft grass and closed his eyes, enjoying the heat of the sunrays beating down on his skin. He quietly contemplated whether this day could get any better.

  
Turns out, it could.

  
Arthur had sat up and pulled a small package from the wicker basket which Merlin had not seen.

  
"I got you a present." Arthur looked slightly awkward when he handed over the package and quickly added, "If you don't like it you can change it."

  
Merlin nodded and took the present in slightly shaking hands, his long fingers caressing it.

  
"The idea is that you open it, Merlin."

  
"I know you prat." Merlin retorted swiftly and pulled the paper of. He gasped at what he saw, it was a long thin wooden box which when opened revealed a beautiful quill - the most expensive that money could buy. The tip was made with silver and the black, iridescent feather was long, each strand perfectly aligned. Merlin picked up the quill and rolled it in his hand, speechless.

  
"It was the least I could do. I hope that you like it. I thought, well I thought that you should learn in style."

  
"Thank you Arthur, it’s beautiful."

  
"Only the best for my friend, if you are going to learn something you better do it properly. I am the prince after all and I want a clever servant!" Arthur joked lightly, relief spreading through him. Merlin liked the present. Thank goodness.

  
"Not everything is about you Arthur," Merlin immediately joked. "I am not just learning so that I can write all of your speeches!"

  
"Idiot!"

  
"Clotpole! Anyway, at least by the end of this I will be an educated idiot!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's it :D I hope that you enjoyed it :D Please let me know what you thought <3

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think!


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